GFNCS: Gran Fondo Florida 12 Weeks Intermediate

This plan focuses on all around fitness. This plan works really well for the Gran Fondo Florida, but again, can be used for all of the Gran Fondos in the series.

This training plan is made for cyclists who train with power, heart rate, or perceived exertion. We have provided an eBook on the first day of the plan that contains testing protocol and explains how to set your training zones within TrainingPeaks. That will allow you to know exactly where you are starting with the plan and provide the correct information for testing in the future.

This plan is comprehensive and is built on hours of power analysis, race comparisons, data capture and past successes of the athletes I have coached. You are going to have to be ready for VO2 efforts, big gear work, hard accelerations, and of course you'll need the threshold power and muscular endurance to get you to the finish line in the front group.

This is not a plan for the mediocre or pack filler. If you want to take it to the next level and ready to put in the work, then this is your plan. Be ready for some unique workouts, be ready for some hard workouts and be ready to do the workouts.

You'll need between 8 and 12 hours a week to play with in order to get all of the work done in this plan. This plan is appropriate for those training for the 60 or 100 mile distance.

WU: 20 Minutes working at Endurance (Power Z2, HR Z2, RPE 2-3) with 2 x 1-minute Fast Pedals to wake up your legs.-------MS1: Once warmed up complete 6 x BIG GEAR WIND ups. Get in your 53x13 (ish) gear, grab some breaks and slow to a track stand, then hit the big gear sprint! Explode from the start with the focus of getting on top that gear as fast as you can! Sprint until you hit 90 RPM, then rest for 2 - 3 minutes between efforts. Recover for at least 5 minutes before going on to MS2.-------MS2: VO2max Intervals. Find a long stretch of road where you can complete this workout without stopping or interrupting the interval efforts (low grade hill / rise of about 1.5 miles works perfect). Complete 3 x 5-minute VO2 Max Intervals at 106% - 115% of FTP (Power Z5, HR Z5, RPE 6-7) with 5 minutes rest in-between. Cadence: complete the interval efforts at 75-85 RPM!-------CD: 15 minutes of easy pedaling.

Sample Day 43

1:15:00

AC 3 x 5 x :60 (1:15)

WU: 15-20 minutes working into the Endurance Zone (Power Z2, HR Z2, RPE 2-3). Add 3 x 1-minute Fast Pedals to open up your fast twitch muscles.-------MS1: Once warmed up, complete 3 sets of 5 x 1-minute AC Intervals (Power Z6, HR Z6, RPE >7) with 1 minute of rest between the intervals. Go as hard as you can for the 1 minute as these are maximal efforts! Rest for 5–8 minutes between sets.-------CD: 10 minutes of easy spinning.

WU: 15 Minutes in the Endurance Zone(Power Z2, HR Z2, RPE 2-3). Get in 2-3 x 1-minute fast pedals with 1 minute of rest between efforts.-------MS: Pre-Race efforts are about opening up the legs and keeping the lactate processing plant sharp. Do 1 x 10-minute Cruise FTP Interval (Power Z4, HR Z4, RPE 4-5) After the FTP interval, do 2-3 Hard 200m Sprints. Really push these so that you get those muscles "fat" with lactic acid and then allow them to release during your 5-minute rest period between sprints. Focus on tomorrow’s race during the efforts, breath deep and pedal smooth.-------CD: 15 minutes of easy pedaling.

Sample Day 83

5:00:00

GRAN FONDO!

You are ready to win!

Here's your warm-up:

WU: 5 minutes at Endurance Zone (Power Z2, HR Z2, RPE 2-3),

Then do 3 x 1-minute fast pedaling efforts. Each effort is cadence over 100rpm, not worrying about wattage too much, but focusing on fast, smooth pedaling and getting the muscles to open up and the blood pumping! REST for 1 minute of easy pedaling between them.

5 minutes easy.

Then a 5 minute ramp, gradually taking your wattage from level 2 to level 4 in minutes 4 to 5. You should be flat out at your threshold in that last minute.

Then 5 minutes at level 2.

Finally, do 1 x 3-minute effort at Level 5 or VO2max watts.

Then you are ready!

5-10 minutes of easy pedaling and then line up for your Race.

Hunter Allen

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Peaks Coaching Group, Inc.

Our coaches are the experts in training with a power meter and data analysis. If you are looking for the best, then Peaks Coaching Group will exceed your expectations and help maximize your training time. We also can help you with race tactics, nutrition, power training, skill development and we also have 4-6 cycling camps each year.

We have many service levels that we offer. Please see detailed descriptions on www.peakscoachinggroup.com We also consulting and provide custom coaching weekends.